Be The Light

There was a little church on a prairie where most folks had little to nothing but made do with what they had. When the Sunday school class learned about the minister’s upcoming birthday, they decided to do something special. Over the following weeks, they took up a collection to purchase a gift as a token of their appreciation. As the special day approached, they collectively voted on the gift – a new Bible. However, when it was time to buy the gift, they found themselves a dollar and a half short. Feeling disheartened, they searched for a solution and discovered that purchasing an additional item to sell could generate the necessary funds.
Despite their efforts, the extra item didn’t sell well leaving them no closer to that new bible. On the minister’s birthday, they mustered the courage to face the congregation and confess their poor decision. Surprisingly, the church community embraced them with open arms, realizing that the students’ genuine intentions outweighed any mistakes made along the way.
The minister, touched by their effort and the heartfelt intention behind it, stood before the congregation with tears of gratitude in his eyes. He reminded everyone that the true spirit of giving lies not in the gift itself, but in the love and effort put into it.

The students learned a valuable lesson that day, one that they would carry with them throughout their lives. They understood that genuine acts of kindness were far more precious than any physical possession.

From that day forward, the little church on the prairie continued to thrive, not because of wealth or grand gestures, but because of their simple, heartfelt acts of kindness. They knew that in their humble surroundings, they possessed something far greater than riches—their unwavering faith and love for one another. And so, the story of the students’ gift became an even more cherished gift than they could have ever imagined. For that box that held the unsold product now holds that old Bible the minister so loved.